Under The Radar

4 Defenders You Gotta Know More About

Because of television, football fans around the country only receive four games a week. That is just ten teams the national audience gets to see every week and most of the time those teams include the Cowboys, Patriots, whatever team Brett Favre is on, and a “regional” game that includes a team 300 miles away that nobody in your town really cares about. Because of this, many players, especially defenders, get overlooked because they are not on Sportscenter doing end zone dances every week.

In the past few years it has bothered me that Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield haven’t received more attention for their extraordinary play. Now all eyes are on the undefeated Minnesota Favres and Winfield is under the spotlight. Asomugha is now literally on fire in a Dick’s Sporting Goods’ commercial and people are beginning to learn how to pronounce his name. 

Now that these guys are in the second half of their careers and finally have some notoriety, that got me thinking. Who are the young superstars in the league now that might be overlooked by your average NFL fan? As a DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscriber who watches every game every week, that was an easy answer. Jay Ratliff of the Cowboys, DeMeco Ryans of the Texans, Darrelle Revis of the Jets, and Elvis Dumervil of the Broncos have all been reeking havoc on opposing offenses since they entered the league and have all been overshadowed.

Let’s start by taking a look at Jay Ratliff. Ratliff is the nose tackle in the Cowboys’ 3-4 defensive scheme. In a 3-4 scheme, the nose tackle is supposed to take on double teams throughout the game, occupying the blockers to allow linebackers like Bradie James and Keith Brooking to make plays. If a nose tackle can force two linemen to take him out of the play, he has done his job. Ratliff does much more than occupy blockers. He consistently fights off two blocks to throw down running backs before they can even make it back to the line of scrimmage.

Ratliff at 6’4, 303 pounds, is extremely undersized for this position and uses it to his advantage. Ratliff has become the quickest defensive tackle in the game and is making his home in the offenses’ backfield.  Ratliff, a seventh round draft choice out of Auburn in ’05, became the starting nose tackle for the Cowboys when Jason Ferguson went down to injury in week 1 in 2007. Ratliff made the most of his fourteen starts at nose tackle allowing Dallas to sign him to a five-year extension following the season. In 2008, with his starting position now firmly in his grasp, Ratliff exploded. He dominated on the defensive line and was fourth on the team in tackles and second to only Demarcus Ware in sacks with 7.5. Ratliff’s 7.5 sacks at the nose position helped earned him a starting role for the NFC Pro Bowl Squad. Through five games in 2009, Ratliff has eleven tackles (all solo) and has continued to do big things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.

Another overshadowed defender is Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. I compare Revis to former Cardinals and Rams superstar Aeneas Williams. Like Williams, Revis’ receives little attention because no quarterbacks throw at him. Why would they? In not even two and a half seasons, Revis has 41 pass deflections with 9 interceptions including one for a touchdown. The first round draft pick out of Pittsburgh made an immediate impact on the Jets defense - starting all 16 games his rookie season. In just his second season in the league in 2008, Revis again started all 16 games and earned his first Pro Bowl selection, beating out the likes of Champ Bailey for the third cornerback slot on the AFC roster.

In six games in 2009, Revis has an interception to go along with 8 pass deflections and 20 solo tackles. With Revis locking down a receiver every play, he has allowed new coach “blitz happy” Rex Ryan to be extremely aggressive on passing downs. Ryan has been sending seven and eight men all year long on third down knowing the quarterback can’t just toss it up to his number one. With the Jets defense becoming stifling under Ryan, and the future of Mark Sanchez looking bright, look forward to seeing and hearing a lot more of Revis in the years to come.

The player who is having as good of year as anybody is Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil. The undersized, 5’11, 248 pound end from Louisville currently leads the NFL in sacks with 10 after only six games. Dumervil has been clutch all season for the Broncos tallying up three forced fumbles and seven of his ten sacks coming on third down.

Dumervil, who should be a household name after this season, has not just been productive in ’09. The fourth year player had 21 sacks in his first two seasons in the league and five more last season in 15 games.

Dumervil, formerly just a speed rusher, put in a lot of work in the off-season to make him a more complete player, mission accomplished Elvis. In the Broncos previous three games, including big wins against Dallas, New England, and San Diego respectively, Dumervil has been a brute force. Against Dallas, Dumervil recorded his third consecutive multi-sack game by taking down Tony Romo twice in a close 17-10 win. Facing Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Elvis recovered a huge fumble in the fourth quarter to help send the game into overtime and Sunday night against San Diego he had his fourth multi-sack game of the season and recovered another fumble in another victory. If Dumervil can stay healthy, Strahan might be getting nervous come December and people will be talking about the new Elvis.

The player who may end up having the best career of the four is Texans middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans. Coming out of Alabama in 2006, the Houston Texans took the linebacker in the second round after taking defensive end Mario Williams with the first overall pick. Instantly Ryans was in Williams shadow and had to make a name for himself on the field. Ryans did just that, making his impact immediately felt when he lead the Texans in tackles with a whopping 155 in his first season in the NFL helping him win the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Not only did Ryans lead the Texans in total tackles but he lead the entire league in solo tackles as a rookie. In ’07 and ’08, Ryans again lead the Texans in tackles totaling 128 in ’07 and 112 last year. Ryans is already the Texans’ all-time leading tackler in the franchise’s brief history. In 2009, Ryans has continued to be a tackling machine recording 45 already in his first six games. With three young studs on defense in Williams, Ryans and rookie Brian Cushing, and a good young quarterback in Matt Schaub; the Texans look to make many playoff appearances in the near future projecting Ryans into the spotlight he deserves.

These four players have long careers ahead of them and will be causing headaches for offensive coordinators for years to come. So NFL fans, next time you get the chance to watch the Cowboys, Jets, Broncos, or Texans, remember to pay attention to these four guys and I can guarantee you that you won’t forget about them.

-scf

 

Sexy Sexton, The Pioneer

The man responsible for the coach-in-waiting theory

It’s sexy. It’s trendy. It’s now protocol at multiple big-time Universities. The ”it” is Jimmy Sexton’s head coach-in-waiting idea.

It is said to have originated at the University of Oregon when Rich Brooks pleaded that then Assistant, Mike Belotti be named his successor. What a great idea. This allows for continuity, eases tension with recruits, and keeps the players happy. Right? Not so fast my friend.

It worked out great for Oregon. There was no waiting, no lingering. This was no 79 year old trying to break records (see Bobby Bowden.) Belotti went on to lead Oregon to 12 bowl appearances in 14 seasons and six Top 25 finishes in the last 10 seasons. Last year Belotti decided to step down and pass the torch to Chip Kelly, providing continuity once more. Kelly has excelled, rebounding from the LeGarrette Blount fiasco and taking his team to 12 in the country.

Where does Jimmy Sexton come into play? Well he is the other side of the equation. He is the Ari Gold for head football coaches. He represents Saban, Parcells, Spurrier,  both Kiffins, and Nutt – to name a few. He is also known as the facilitator in transitioning assistants to head coaches. He represents Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp – both of whom are head coaches in waiting for FSU and Texas respectively.

Of course, you already knew that. Everyone does. Bobby Bowden is holding on for dear life (literally and figuratively), hoping that the NCAA’s stripping of victories does not uphold. Guess what Robert?  It will and “Joe Pa” is the winner in the pathetic game of who can last longer. He may have a fake hip and not know what a text message is, but he certainly isn’t 2-4 with a coach-in-waiting breathing down his neck and an indignant Board of Trustees.

There is the good and the bad. How about the in between? Will Muschamp is the coach-in-waiting at Texas. Well Champ, feel free to kick back and relax. Mack Brown is as healthy as ever, monopolizing recruiting in Texas, 3 in both polls, and happy as can be. But if you’re a Texas fan - so far, so good. You have managed to hold on to a great assistant while keeping the head honcho happy.

The jury is still out in other places as well. Joker Phillips will be the second African-American coach in the SEC when Rich Brooks leaves Kentucky (talk about a perfect PR storm). If James Franklin doesn’t succeed Ralph Friedgen at Maryland he will receive $1 million strong. Danny Hope is now the head coach at Purdue after being named the coach-in-waiting, and he believes there is an advantage to it. "The biggest advantage of being the coach-in-waiting is you get to do an inventory of the program from an in-house perspective," Hope said.

You can bet the house that this trend will be around for a while. Jimmy Sexton will continue to foster this idea to big-time Universities like Ari Gold fosters Vinny Chase, and unless more Bobby Bowden situations come about, it may be the sexiest route after all.

-rw

 

Start Strong, Finish Strong

FYI: All those that did email us received a blowout Denver win! We can't wait for this weekend, and check the site tonight for a new article!

Too bad that phrase doesn’t apply to betting. CTS had a blowout win on Thursday and was dead on with the Falcons last night, but struggled in between. Even with Bradford going down, we were able to squeak out a win early on Saturday. Then the two worst offenses to date in the Pac-10 managed to hit the over in the first half. If that wasn't strange enough, defensive mastermind Bud Foster failed to put together a scheme against a GT team who only completed one pass in its win over Va Tech.

Ok we will do better on Sunday, so we thought. Somehow the worst team in the NFL (Raiders) managed to get it together and hold the Eagles to 9 points. 9 points! Then the Seahawks who just blew out the Jaguars 41-0 last week only scored 3 points against the worst passing defense in the NFL. Needless to say, not many people saw that coming.

Even after a strange turn of events, CTS’ record holds strong at 12-6 for the year and all three analysts hold winning records. We do not have an “official” pick for tonight, but if you would like the pick that we are going to take please send an email to Coverinthespread@gmail.com with the subject line MNF and we will send you our pick(s). Thanks for reading and feel free to email us or to comment on any of the posts.  

CTS Pickin' Winners On the Reg

(CTS 9-1 YTD--mfb 4-0; scf 5-0; rw 0-1) 

NCAA

 

Virginia Tech (-3) at Georgia Tech

 

Virginia Tech has been outstanding this season with the exception of an opening loss to Alabama and a few defensive breakdowns at Duke.  Georgia Tech has also been impressive with only one loss at Miami.  Paul Johnson’s offense has been putting up a lot of points this year (33 pts/gm).  They feast on undisciplined defenses, but Bud Foster will draw something up and they will be more than prepared. On top of that, Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams really have that VT offense clicking.

Take Virginia Tech minus the points -mfb

 

Oklahoma (+3.5) vs. Texas (Neutral Site)

 

The deciding factor in this game was Sam Bradford’s performance last week.  He threw for 389 yards and a touchdown in his first game back since separating his shoulder in the first game of the year.  Now that Oklahoma’s offense is back to form, it will put that much more pressure on Colt McCoy.  The Texas offense is a two-man show between Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley.  The running game is non-existent, which is very bad news when facing an Oklahoma defense that has been tough to score on this year.  Look for Sam Bradford to shine and Oklahoma to pick up a much needed win.

Take Oklahoma plus the points -mfb

 

California at UCLA, O/U (44)

 

Both Cal and UCLA come into this game winless in the conference.  Their offenses have put up embarrassing numbers the first two conference games (Cal 3 pts/gm; UCLA 13 pts/gm).  Cal likes to keep the ball on the ground and UCLA has a very conservative offense. This total is way too high.

Take the Under-mfb

 

Miami (-14) at UCF

 

Miami has had the hardest schedule in college football this year. They have had impressive wins against FSU, Oklahoma, and GT. Their lone loss came to the hands of a hot VT team and Miami was simply worn out playing its fourth consecutive top 25 team. UCF looked decent against Memphis (still giving up 270 yds in the air), but barely beat Samford and has lost to Southern Miss and ECU, who are both having down years. Look for Jacory Harris to lead an explosive Miami offense to a convincing win Saturday night.

Take Miami minus the points –rw

 

 

NFL

 

Philadelphia Eagles (-14.5) at Oakland Raiders

 

The Oakland Raiders looked absolutely embarrassing last week in a blowout loss to the G-Men and have lost their last three games by a total of 20, 23, and 37 points. JaMarcus Russell only seems to be getting worse as the season progresses and the Eagles number 3 ranked defense will not make things easier. The Eagles will get out in front early and should win this game by about three touchdowns.

Take Philly minus the points - scf

 

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-3) O/U (47)

 

Seattle looked awfully impressive last week in a 41-0 blowout of the Jaguars. Arizona’s inconsistency continued with a 28-21 win over the Texans at home. Look for lots of passing in this game considering Arizona has the third ranked passing offense in the NFL along with the worst ranked pass defense in the league. That being said, I expect a high scoring game with Arizona’s inconsistency continuing in their first real road test of the season. I like the Seahawks to win by about a score of 34-21.

Take Seattle minus the points and the over – scf

 

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (-3)

 

The Falcons are coming off a decisive win over a strong 49ers team on the road. They will ride that momentum into the GA dome Sunday night. They have arguably the most balanced attack offensively in the NFL with a power RB (Turner), a Hall of Fame TE (Gonzalez), Efficient QB (Ryan), and an explosive WR (White).  The Bears have had a confusing season thus far. They lost in an ugly battle against the Pack, barely beat a Seneca Wallace-lead Seahawks team, but managed to take down the defending Superbowl Champs (who haven’t been overly impressive). Atlanta won’t be able to blow out Cutler and the Bears like they did the 49ers, but look for Favre jr. (Cutler) to throw an interception or two to help the Falcons win by a TD at home.

Take the Falcons minus the points - rw

Appetizer

Cincinnati (-2) at South Florida

 

Who would’ve thought before the season that the winner of this game would sit alone at the top in the Big East?  South Florida has shocked the conference by starting the year 5-0 and being ranked 21^st in the country.  The bad news for Bull fans, however, is that they have yet to play a quality opponent.  Their signature wins are against Florida State (who has since been deemed extremely overrated) and Syracuse (no elaboration needed).  They boast a good defense statistically, but they have yet to face an offense as explosive as Cincinnati’s.  The Bearcats offense ranks 3^rd in the country in scoring offense (42 pts/game), but what’s amazing about that statistic is they are ranked dead last in time of possession.  That means that Heisman hopeful quarterback Tony Pike leads the offense down the field quickly and effectively.  USF gave up 270 pass yards to both Greg Paulus (yeah the former "Dukie") and a struggling FSU offense.  I just don’t see them being capable of slowing down the fast tempo offense that Brian Kelly has implemented.  Cincinnati already proved they can win on the road with their impressive victory over Oregon State on the west coast. 

 

Take the Bearcats minus the points -mfb

ALCS & NLCS Previews

After an extremely uneventful division series that did not have a single game 5 and included three sweeps, it is now time for the championship series. The NLCS is a rematch from 2008 between the Dodgers and the Phillies while the AL features the Yankees and the Angels.

 

The Dodgers looked absolutely amazing in their sweep against the Cardinals. The pitching of  Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, and that Dodger bullpen shut down the hot bats of the Cards and were even able to out duel Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Because of the sweep, the Dodgers have their rotation in order with Randy Wolf set to start game one Thursday night in L.A. The Phillies will counter with Cole Hamels in game 1 with Cliff Lee having to wait all the way until game 3 to pitch because of his game 4 start against the Rockies.

 

If the Phillies stand any chance of winning this series, Hamels has to be in ’08 form. Last year in the NLCS against the Dodgers, Hamels was 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA against the Dodgers and took home the NLCS MVP award. In the regular season in ’09, Hamels was 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA and in his only outing so far this postseason, Hamels only lasted 5 innings against the Rockies while giving up 4 earned runs and taking the loss for the Phils. If Hamels can pitch like he did in ’08, the Phillies are the favorite.

 

For the Dodgers to win the series, Andre Ethier, Rafael Furcal, and Manny Ramirez will have to continue to hit the ball like they did against the Cards going a combined 16-37. That being said, players such as Matt Kemp and James Loney will have to step up their play after combining to go 5-26 against tough St. Louis pitching. A big key for the Dodgers will be how their 21-year-old game 2 starter, Clayton Kershaw, will pitch. If the youngster can handle the pressure and continue to pitch like he has been pitching all season, the Dodgers have a real shot. The Dodgers clearly have the edge in the bullpen with Jonathan Broxton at closer coming off a season in which he had 36 saves and a 2.61 ERA. Broxton, of course, was much more impressive than the Phils’ Brad Lidge, who had a 7.21 ERA with 11 blown saves.

 

The ALCS begins Friday night in the Bronx with a matchup of C.C. Sabathia vs. John Lackey. Personally, these look like the two best teams in baseball. Coming off sweeps of the Twins and Red Sox respectively, the two teams who lead the entire MLB in runs scored in ’09 will battle it out from coast to coast in what figures to be a long, high scoring series.

 

The Angels finally did what they have not been able to do in recent years by beating the Red Sox in the postseason. Not only did they beat the Red Sox, they swept them in three games outscoring the Sox 16-7 in the series. The lineup of Figgins, Aybar, Guerrero, Hunter, Abreu, and Napoli, just to name a few and trust me they have more, will continue to hit. Even against the likes of Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte, the bats will continue to stay hot for the AL West champs. If the Angels have any questions it is in their rotation. Between John Lackey, Jered Weaver, and the newly acquired Scott Kazmir, not one is a clear-cut postseason ace. Lackey has had previous postseason success, but Kazmir and Weaver combine for only 4 postseason starts. The Angels were 21^st in the MLB in the regular season with a combined ERA of 4.45. That being said, for the Angels to win the series, the sticks will have to stay hot and the bullpen of Brian Fuentes and Darren Oliver will have to continue getting batters out.

 

The New York Yankees are coming off a three game sweep of the Minnesota Twins and look hungry for a championship. They have their rotation set up perfectly for the series and their bats look like they did all season long. The Yankees may be the scariest team left with their postseason goat, Alex Rodriguez, going 5-11 against the Twins with 6 RBI’s and two clutch home runs to help win games two and three. With the sticks of Jeter, Tex, Matsui, and Posada around what looks to be a different A-Rod, the Yankees should give the Angels pitching fits. Now that Joe Girardi has thrown out the “Joba rules”, that Yankee middle relief is secure again and Mariano Rivera can wait until the ninth to do his thing. Brian Cashman has finally put together a roster capable of winning a championship and to me; the Yankees are the favorite until someone knocks them off.

- scf

 

Tiger, Hurry Up and Wait

Tiger, U.S. Roll in President's Cup

 

Every sports fan looks forward to weekends during football season so they can sink in the couch and cheer on their favorite NFL and College Football teams.  This may have caused you to overlook the masterful performance put on by Sir Tiger Woods in the President’s Cup this weekend.  Tiger ended up a perfect 5-0 on the weekend.  He is only the 3^rd professional golfer to win 5 matches in one President’s Cup, and became the all time leader in points with 18.  The United States won the event by a score of 19.5 – 14.5, with Tiger’s 5 points being the difference. 

Sunday’s match probably had a little more meaning than the previous 4.  Y.E. Yang, sound familiar?  He was the golfer who upended Woods in the final round of the PGA Championship at Hazeltine, breaking his streak of 14 straight majors when holding a 54-hole lead.  Anyone that has watched Tiger over the years knows he is an absolute freak when it comes to competition.  Yang exposed Tiger in the PGA and Tiger returned the favor just 2 months later by humiliating Yang 6 and 5, and clinching the cup for the U.S.  He teamed up with fellow American Steve Stricker to embarrass his international foe in every match with the exception of one.  In the Saturday Foursomes, Mike Weir and Tim Clark had Woods and Stricker backed into a corner, 1 down with 2 to play.  Tiger and Stricker finished birdie – eagle to win the match in 18 holes, a heroic finish that we have come to expect from the #1 player in the world.

There has been much debate around the PGA Tour on whether Tiger had a successful 2009.  I think it mostly depends on your point of view.  Some people would argue that his success is directly related to the winning of major golf tournaments.  I believe Tiger would agree with you.  Not saying that winning 6 golf tournaments with over $10 million in earnings excluding the $10 million prize he won for winning the incredibly over-hyped FedEx Cup isn’t a great year.  Any other golfer on tour (with the exception of maybe Phil and Vijay) would consider those statistics as their best year ever.  However, Mr. Woods has other things on his mind.  It seems that everything he does as a professional golfer is geared towards winning major tournaments.  That is the ultimate record that he wants to achieve, beating Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors.

That is the final piece to put all debate to rest that Tiger Woods is THE greatest golfer to ever play the game.  You can be sure he will be more focused than ever in 2010 after being skunked this year.  I have a feeling that at the Masters next April everyone will be playing for 2^nd place.

 -mfb

 

88

This is not a posting about Dale Jr., Michael Irvin, Eric Lindros, or Marvin Harrison (please tell me you notice the commonality here). No, this post is about CTS' winning percentage.

Over the past weekend, Coverin' The Spread managed to go 8-1, or 88%. Grease ball "experts" would kill to have a weekend like this. Over the past few years, my friends and I have idiotically invested in a few pick services - all of which were garbage. As a result, we decided to start picking  on our own and to only pick the games we feel comfortable with; staying away from the Tuesday night showdowns between the likes of Arkansas St. and Louisiana Monroe. 

Sure this weekend could  have been luck and we did win some close ones. Let's keep in mind the only game we lost was in OT. Since when does Tom Brady lose to an overrated scrub like Kyle Orton? I guess Mr. Orton isn't so bad after all. 

Keep checking the blog for posts on current issues and our picks on Friday. We may occasionally post a mid-week game, but for the most part the picks will be up Friday around lunch time. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment on any and all of the posts!

-rw

The Debate over the Debate

Enough Said

MJ, Kobe, and Lebron

I cannot believe I am talking NBA this early in October, but with the season only weeks away, I have to get something straight. Every season for about the past five years, we hear the debate Lebron vs. Kobe. Which one is better? Next, some jackass starts the debate “Are they the next Jordan?” I cannot believe I am giving this debate any credibility by even blogging about it but how can you be the next Jordan if you are not clearly the best player in your league?

 

When MJ was in the same league as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, MJ was the best player. When MJ was in the same league as Clyde Drexler and Isiah Thomas, MJ was the best player. When he was in the same league as Reggie Miller and Karl Malone, he was the best player. Even his last season with the Bulls when he was 35 and Shaquille O’Neal was 26 in his sixth year in the league and second season with the Lakers, MJ was the best player. Kobe Bryant just became the best player on his team six seasons ago.

 

For all you Kobe lovers out there, who say “oh well Kobe was only 23,24, and 25 during the three-peat run with Shaq, how could he be dominant?” take a look at what Jordan did at that age. When Jordan was 23, he only played in eighteen games because of an injury, but at 24 and 25, he took over. At age 24 he lead the league in scoring with a whopping 37 points a game. That was just a warm up for what Michael would do the next season. In 1988, at the age of 25, Michael Jordan lead the league again in scoring at 35 a game, won the defensive player of the year award, and won his first NBA MVP award.

 

That same year in 1988, Jordan shot 53% from the field. Kobe Bryant has never shot 50% in a season. Ever. Jordan did it eight times and averaged 50% for his career. Oh, and yes, I am including his two seasons with the Wizards. In the playoffs, MJ shot 50% or better in six different seasons. Kobe Bryant did it once and that is just because I rounded .497 up.

The one aspect of the game that everybody seems to say Kobe is clearly better at than Michael is the three point shot. The only reason people say that is because that was the worst part of Jordan’s game. In Bryant’s career, he has shot 34% from beyond the arc, and 33% in the playoffs. In Jordan’s career, he shot 33% from downtown and 33% also in the playoffs. Big difference huh?

 

As you can now tell, Lebron is not getting much attention in this article. How many rings does LeBron have? Exactly. Let me know how he is doing in 2015 and then maybe I’ll debate the fact that he is being debated with Jordan.

 

As for Kobe, anyone who knows me, or knows anything about basketball, knows I can go on and on about why Michael is better. Whether it be Jordan’s six Finals MVP awards to Kobe’s one, or even the fact that Jordan took the two best years of his career off, in between the Bulls’ two three-peats, to play baseball. (Quick note also on all you Jordan baseball haters, he did hit over .300 in the second half of his season with the Barons.) The fact is, there are plenty of reasons, stats, numbers and awards to prove that this is not a debate. I just hope this article has not changed anyone’s opinion on the subject matter because it was clearly a no-brainer to begin with.

-       SCF

 (CTS TWO PART SERIES COMING SOON: 2009-10 WESTERN AND EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEWS)

 

CTS Pickin' Winners On the Reg

Each week we will each post a few picks against the spread with a short description as to why we picked that game. Michael is in charge of NCAA, Clark is picking NFL, and Richard will be picking 1-3 from either.   (0-0 YTD)

 

NCAA

 

Alabama (-6.5) at Mississippi

 

The Ole Miss Rebels still haven’t been able to put it all together for one game this season.  They put forth a lackluster performance against Memphis and were embarrassed against the only descent team they have seen this year in Columbia.  Jevan Snead can’t seem to take care of the football and that is going to cost him when Rolando McClain and company roll into Oxford.  Just to illustrate how dominate the Tide has been:  The Alabama defense ranks in the top 10 nationally in pass defense (10^th), rush defense (4^th), and total yards allowed (2^nd), while the offense cracks the top 10 in rushing yards (10^th), points (8^th), and passing efficiency (9^th).  Alabama will be too much for Ole Miss on the road. 

Take the Crimson Tide minus the points -mfb

 

Michigan (+8) at Iowa

 

I am still not sold on this Iowa team.  I know they went into Happy Valley and defeated Penn State a couple of weeks back, but I just don’t think they are a top-15 football team.  They have traditional boring big ten offense that is not going to score a lot of points.  The Michigan Wolverines are coming off a loss to rival Michigan State and will be looking to get back on track.  Their spread attack captained by the youngster Tate Forcier has been impressive to this point.  Look for Michigan to put up some points and hang with the Hawkeyes on the road. 

Take Michigan plus the points - mfb

 

Kentucky (+10.5) at South Carolina

 

South Carolina may be looking past their matchup with SEC east foe Kentucky for their game with Alabama the following week.  Kentucky could not hang with the two top teams in the SEC, but South Carolina is a different story.  Their run defense has been criticized, but they slowed the Alabama running attack better than any team has to date.  All-American corner Trevard Lindley likely being out will hurt the Wildcats, but Kentucky has the personnel and coaching to keep this game close, if not win it outright. 

Take Kentucky plus the points - mfb

 

NFL

 

NY Jets at Miami Dolphins (+2)

 

Miami is coming off a slaughter of the Buffalo Bills and looked in 2008 form. Mark Sanchez finally looked like a rookie last week against New Orleans and Jason Taylor and Joey Porter will not make things any easier for Sanchez. I like the Dolphins not only to cover, but also to win the game by about four points.

Take Miami plus the points - scf

 

Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs (+9)

 

I have never, ever picked Dallas not to cover. I have never, ever seen Tony Romo play this poorly. Without Felix Jones, and a banged up Roy Williams, look for the Cowboys to play smash mouth football and control the clock in a low scoring game. Look for the Cowboys to hold off a late charge from Matt Cassel, Larry Johnson and company and win a close one by less than a touchdown.

Take the Chiefs plus the points - scf

 

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers, O/U (37.5)

 

This is my favorite pick of the weekend. These two offenses have been atrocious all season while their defenses have been about average. The Redskins will give the Panthers a heavy dose of Clinton Portis while the Panthers will counter with their tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The Redskins have scored no more than 17 points in any game this season while the Panthers maxed out at 20 in a week 2 loss vs. Atlanta.

Take the Under - scf

 

Parlay of the Day

 

Tampa Bay Bucs at Philadelphia Eagles (-15), O/U (42).

 

This is an extremely hard game to pick because of Mcnabb’s return to the Philly lineup and yes, 15 points is a ton. In years past, especially playing at home, the Eagles have ended these games in a hurry and it has usually lead to a record day for Mcnabb. The Eagles still do not have their running game going great so look for them to air it out and put up points coming off their bye week. If the Eagles cover 15, do not even worry about the 42 because that will take care of itself.

Take the Eagles and the Over - scf

 

 

New England Patriots (-3) at Denver Broncos.

 

This is an absolute steal. The Denver Broncos are the most overrated team in all of sports right now. Sure they have a good defense. But who have they played? The Cowboys played horrendous last week and would have beat them had it not been for a late, acrobatic play from Brandon Marshall. The only team that has proven to be half-way decent is Cincinatti, whom they beat 12-7. Oakland and Cleveland are probably the worst two teams in football. On the other end you have a revitalized Patriots team- not to mention that lunatic-wizard Belichick loves beating the shit out of his former assistants.

Load up on the Patriots minus the points - rw